Relief efforts continue more than a month after deadly and destructive fires struck the area around Viña del Mar, Chile. The fires killed more than 130 people and damaged nearly 15,000 homes.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has organized volunteer efforts as it coordinates with local government and other organizations to provide aid to the affected community.
Elder Craig C. Christensen, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s South America South Area, recently visited the fire-affected area in Viña del Mar. In a news release from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, Elder Christensen thanked the friends and members of the Church who have volunteered.
“The Church has been contributing donations to affected families,” Elder Christensen said. “We are coordinating with the government and other institutions, providing volunteers and material aid. We want to bring assistance and hope to [those] who have been impacted by this catastrophe.”
Elder Christensen also held a devotional at the Viña del Mar Chile Achupallas Stake Center on March 3. In a post on the stake Instagram page, Elder Christensen expressed his love in Spanish for the members and people of the area and told them as their efforts continue to help each other, “we are going to see miracles.”
The Church is also providing a significant monetary donation to be used by the government to help with reconstruction efforts. The contribution will not only provide material assistance but also bring comfort and hope, the news release said.
In a February report, the Church’s area leaders reported that more than 100 Church members’ homes in the affected regions have sustained damage as well.
While facing their own uncertainties, many Latter-day Saints have been helping their neighbors — distributing bottled water and supplies, as well as cleaning and removing debris.
Sonia Bravo Arévalo is one of the residents of Viña del Mar who was affected by the fires. She said, “I never thought that the brothers and sisters of the Church would support us so much. For me, it is a joy and a blessing that they are here.”
Some of those efforts have been from the full-time missionaries. The Achupallas stake president and Viña del Mar Chile Stake president shared a video together thanking the elders from the Chile Viña del Mar Mission for the love and service they provided.
